A year after a woman was shot and killed, her killer will be behind bars, according to Columbia police.
Police say Barbara Ann Dinkins, 48, of Columbia, was shot and killed on Mother’s Day in 2023. Elijah L. Lindsay was arrested the following day, May 15, according to police.
Police said the 44-year-old Columbia man was charged with murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime when he was taken into custody last year, but he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge Tuesday when his trial began, according to Richland County court records.
According to court records, Lindsay pleaded guilty to intentional homicide and was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Information about Lindsay’s plea agreement was not available.
Deadly shooting
Police said the 2023 shooting happened in the 2500 block of Orr Street, near the intersection with Two Notch Road and about a half mile from California Johnson High School.
Court records list Lindsay’s address as being on Orr Street.
Police said officers who responded to the scene of the shooting found Dinkins unresponsive inside the home.
No other injuries were reported.
The following night, police said Lindsay was taken into police custody. Police officers and members of the U.S. Marshals ServicePolice said Lindsay was found at a gas station on West Beltline Boulevard, about a mile from the crime scene.
Police said the shooting is “deemed to be an isolated domestic violence related incident.”
No further details were available about Lindsay’s relationship to the victim, and there was no word on what prompted the incident leading up to the shooting.
In memory of the victims
According to an obituary published by Reavey’s Funeral Home, Dinkins, a Columbia native who served as general manager of KFC for 20 years, is survived by her husband, mother, brothers, daughter and grandchildren.
A funeral for Dinkins, who was known to loved ones as “Bearzo,” was held on May 20, 2023, according to his obituary.
“Everyone loved her outgoing personality,” the obituary read. “Wherever Barbara went, she had that big, beautiful smile that most will remember her by. … She was always the life of the party!”